May 2 — The IIFF & Provocate presents the Eric Parker Social Justice Award The Eric Parker Social Justice Award honors a film that confronts the audience with urgent social problems and inspires innovative solutions. After watching the winning entry, you will be unable to see the world in the same light, and unable to resist the hope that these conflicts can some day be overcome. check it out
May 4 — For a few more days they will treat us like Hollywood. So maybe this is what it’s like to be Iowa every four yerars. Celebrate Israel’s 60th birthday this Sunday morning at the JCC, 9:30-10 am, with actor/director Rob Reiner (standing in for Hillary), actress Debra Winger (standing in for Obama), Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter (for McCain), Gov. Mitch Daniels, Indy Mayor Greg Ballard, and Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard. check it out
May 4 — Carwash for Kenya. A chance to make a difference in the life of a family in Kenya, and have a sparkly clean car at the same time. check it out
May 4 — Senator Richard G. Lugar on “Indiana and the World” Sometimes it seems that Barack Obama’s main constructive foreign policy message is: “I like Dick Lugar.” Come to Marian college to find out why this is not a bad argument when Senator Lugar delivers his first public speech to the renamed Richard G. Lugar Franciscan Center for Global Studies. A Culture Club recommendation … check it out
May 5 — 5. Get a sneak peek at the Indianapolis Symphony’s 2008-9 season with conductor Mario Venzago and secret special guests. The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s recently announced 2008-9 season is one of the most ambitious ever, with two major world premieres and a guest performers who will be toting armloads of Grammies. Host Geoffrey Lapin (ISO cellist and the world’s leading scholar of Nancy Drew) will be joined by conductors Mario Venzago and Jack Everly at the Symphony’s “First Monday Music Club,” where the cool kids go once a month for fun discussions of serious music. They will play some of the music on tap for the next season, and will be joined in person and telephonically by some of the musical legends who will be appearing in Indianapolis in the coming year. A Culture Club recommendation, check it out
May 7 — Latin America leans to the Left. check it out
May 7 — Discuss children’s rights with the ACLU. The definition of what it means to be a person in our society depends in part on what rights a being possesses. How much are children like persons? check it out
May 7 — “Still Life with Bombers: Israel and the Age of Terrorism.” David Horovitz, editor of The Jerusalem Post, fell from optimism to despair about the prospects of peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Hear whether he has made it back to pragmatic pessimism yet. check it out
May 8 — Street and Elite: A Hoosier Sartorialist’s View of the Economics of Style. It may come as a surprise that a Hoosier made it onto TIME magazine’s list of 100 most influential design innovators. Indianapolis native Scott Schuman spent 15 years toiling in the fashion industry, but catapulted himself to international renown with his blog, http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com, where he posts photos of people he sees on the streets who display distinctive senses of style. His magazine-quality photographs capture ordinary people of all ages and shapes, drawing more than a million unique visitors to his site every month. The Sartorialist has inspired thousands of fashion blogs around the world, all based on the democratic notion that anyone can be stylish and elegant, and that beauty can suffuse everyday life. A Culture Club recommendation … check it out.
May 9 — Economist Walter Williams. What would Rush Limbaugh sound like if he had a brain? His listeners get a hint whenever George Mason economist Walter Williams fills in as a substitute host for Rush. check it out
May 9 — Improving Women’s Health through Law and Policy. If you are a sick woman, talk to a lawyer? Find out why that maybe isn’t such a bad idea at a Sagamore Institute Ideas in Indiana luncheon. check it out
May 10 — Althea Crome: Conceptual Knitting on the “Bugknit” Scale. No, “extreme knitting” is not done on or with bungee cords. For Bloomington based artist Althea Crome, it means pushing miniatures right to the extreme edge of human capabilities. A Culture Club recommendation … check it out
May 11 — Humanitarian hero Stefan Milenkovich brings his violin virtuosity to Indianapolis on Mothers Day. Every four years Indianapolis becomes the center of the violin universe with the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. While you are rosining your bow in anticipation of 2010, enjoy 1994 Silver Medalist Stefan Milenkovich as he returns to the scene of his triumph. A Culture Club recommendation … check it out
May 14 — European Union turns 50.
May 14 — see the potent Israeli film “Naf: A Street Kid” … and meet the director. Screening of the controversial Israeli documentary, “Naf: A Street Kid,” that follows a homeless boy’s life over a three-year period. Kicked out of his parent’s ultra-orthodox home for being a “bad apple,” the 14 year old experiences homelessness in Jerusalem. He eventually learns to survive on the street as a rapper, a lobbyist for other street youth, and a part time drug dealer. The film’s director, Moshe Alafi, will be at the screening to talk about the documentary. check it out
May 14 — The Taipei DanceWorks Ensemble celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Taipei-Indianapolis sister city partnership. How can you not love a group that says of itself: “We express Taiwanese culture through tap dance”? A Culture Club recommendation … check it out.
May 21 — Living with a Resurgent Russia. How can the US handle a Russia that doesn’t want to do what we tell it to do … and has the clout to stand up to intimidation? check it out
May 21 — James Schoff tells us: What to do with North Korea? There could be no headache awaiting the next president that’s bigger than North Korea, with its nukes and crisis-ridden economy. That’s why James Schoff has to worry that “the six party talks” doesn’t sound like much of a party at all. check it out
May 28 — John Clark on “Great Decisions indeed: Why Indianapolis needs its own foreign policy” Consider the eight topics of the Great Decisions series: unending war in Iraq, the EU, grudging diplomatic discussions with our enemies, policy for an overstretched military, Latin America’s Leftists, undemocratic Russia and Putinism, trade with China, private philanthropy and foreign aid. All apparently disconnected from one another, all far away … but they all intimately touch Central Indiana, and we have a chance to contribute to solutions. check it out
